Lotte Biologics signs Alvotech contract to make antibody biosimilars in New York
In short
Lotte Biologics said it signed a production contract with Alvotech to manufacture multiple antibody biosimilar drug substances at its Syracuse, New York facility for global supply. The signing ceremony was held at CPHI Milan 2026 in Milan, Italy, on 6 October local time, according to Korean business outlets. The companies said they will expand cooperation and plan a dual-site system linking Syracuse with Lotte’s Songdo campus in Incheon; product names and contract value were not disclosed.
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Lotte Biologics said on 7 October that it signed a production contract with Alvotech, a global biotechnology company, to manufacture multiple antibody biosimilar drug substances. The signing ceremony was held at CPHI Milan 2026, a global pharmaceutical and bio exhibition in Milan, Italy, according to Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo. Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo said the signing took place on 6 October local time. Under the contract, production will take place at Lotte Biologics’ Syracuse, New York facility, with the output intended for supply to the global market. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
The Syracuse site has 40,000 liters of bioreactor capacity for biopharmaceutical manufacturing as well as its own process development and quality control capabilities, the company said. It also has commercial biopharmaceutical manufacturing experience and recently passed an unannounced US Food and Drug Administration inspection with no observations, according to the company. Asia Economy reported that commercial supply would follow technology transfer, manufacturing qualification and approval by relevant regulators. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
Alvotech’s side of the deal was presented as a way to expand its US manufacturing base and strengthen its global supply chain. Asia Economy reported that Alvotech plans to combine the additional capacity from Lotte Biologics with its own production facilities and existing partnerships to respond to portfolio expansion and rising global demand. Alvotech CEO Lisa Graber said the collaboration secured additional manufacturing capacity in New York and would complement existing capacity as the company expands its portfolio and prepares new product launches. She also said the expanded global manufacturing network would provide sufficient capacity to meet pipeline demand over the next decade. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Lotte Biologics said that if the scale of cooperation grows, it plans to link the Syracuse plant with its Songdo bioconnect campus in Incheon, South Korea, in a “dual-site” production system. The company said the Songdo campus is under construction and would be connected to the US production site to operate production bases matched to customers’ global supply chains. Park James of Lotte Biologics said Alvotech’s biosimilar development expertise and Lotte Biologics’ global commercial manufacturing capability would create synergy, and that the company would focus on supporting the flexible dual-site system connecting Syracuse and Songdo. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Specific terms were not made public. Chosun Ilbo reported that Lotte Biologics said it would not disclose product names or the size of the order, citing confidentiality provisions. Seoul Economic Daily also reported that no specific product or contract scale was disclosed. Chosun Ilbo’s summary additionally said Alvotech is headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland. Korea Economic Daily reported the contract as production cooperation at the New York facility, and Newsis reported the contract signed in Milan, according to their headlines. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The contract adds a named global biotech customer to Lotte Biologics’ US commercial manufacturing site and, according to the companies, will expand Alvotech’s US production capacity for biosimilars. It also sets out a plan to tie the Syracuse site to Lotte’s Songdo campus in Incheon, which would place the Korean site in a cross-border supply chain if cooperation grows. Because product names and contract value were not disclosed, the immediate commercial weight of the deal is not visible in the documents.
Key facts
- Lotte Biologics said it signed a production contract with Alvotech, announced on 7 October. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The signing ceremony was held at CPHI Milan 2026 in Milan, Italy; Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo said it took place on 6 October local time. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Under the contract, Lotte Biologics will manufacture multiple antibody biosimilar drug substances at its Syracuse, New York facility for global market supply. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The Syracuse plant has 40,000 liters of bioreactor capacity, in-house process development and quality control, and recently passed an unannounced US FDA inspection with no observations, according to the company. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The companies said they will expand cooperation; Lotte Biologics plans a dual-site system linking Syracuse with its Songdo bioconnect campus in Incheon if cooperation grows. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Product names and contract size were not disclosed; Chosun Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily said no specific products or contract scale were made public. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Alvotech CEO Lisa Graber said the collaboration secures additional manufacturing capacity in New York and will complement existing capacity as the company expands its portfolio and prepares new product launches. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Park James of Lotte Biologics said the companies expect synergy and the company will focus on supporting a flexible dual-site production system connecting Syracuse and Songdo. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lotte Biologics said it signed a production contract with Alvotech. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The signing ceremony was held at CPHI Milan 2026 in Milan, Italy, according to Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Under the contract, Lotte Biologics will manufacture multiple antibody biosimilar drug substances at its Syracuse, New York facility for supply to the global market. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The Syracuse plant has 40,000 liters of bioreactor capacity and in-house process development and quality control capabilities, according to the company. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The company said the Syracuse site recently passed an unannounced US FDA inspection with no observations. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The two companies said they will expand their cooperation, and Lotte Biologics plans a dual-site production system linking Syracuse with its Songdo bioconnect campus in Incheon if cooperation grows. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Lotte Biologics representatives Park James and Shin Yoo-yeol and Alvotech chairman Robert Wessman and CEO Lisa Graber attended the signing, according to Yonhap, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Product names and contract size were not disclosed; Chosun Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported that no specific products or contract scale were made public. [ 2 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The product names, contract value and other specific terms of the deal. Chosun Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported that Lotte Biologics did not disclose these details, citing confidentiality provisions or without giving figures.
- When commercial supply from the Syracuse site will begin. Asia Economy reported that supply would follow technology transfer, manufacturing qualification and approval by relevant regulators, but no dates were given.
- Alvotech is headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland. This is reported only in the Chosun Ilbo summary among the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Signing ceremony held at CPHI Milan 2026, according to Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo. [ 6 , 7 ]
- Yonhap reports that Lotte Biologics signed a production contract with Alvotech at CPHI Milan 2026. [ 1 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports the contract and says product names and order size were withheld under confidentiality provisions. [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports the contract and New York production cooperation. [ 3 ]
- Newsis reports the contract signed in Milan with Alvotech. [ 4 ]
- Asia Economy reports the contract with details on the Syracuse plant, the FDA inspection and the planned dual-site system. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the contract, the 6 October local signing and the planned dual-site system. [ 6 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the contract and quotes from both companies. [ 7 ]